Worth Fighting For
by SyntheticProduct
Summary: Normal people don't exactly sign up to kill aliens that seemingly decimated an entire ship, but Nina wasn't normal. She punched and asked questions later; shot her rifle into the crowd instead of running away, and she always needed to fight; it was in her blood after all. She was sardonically charismatic and had an odd charm to her that Corporal Hicks just can't seem to ignore. OC
1. Chapter 1

**Worth Fighting For**  
 _SyntheticProduct_

 _Special shout-out to **AJSM** , who helped me sort out the main character and gave me the inspiration to write another Aliens story. ;)_

* * *

 _Chapter One_

* * *

" _Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win,_ " was something her father always told her. Even as a little girl when he came home from work, he'd sweep her up in his arms and whisper those words to her. It was their salutation, their goodbye, and she held those words close to her heart. To her, it was a mantra, the universal truth that only her and her father knew. He was a soldier, a captain of his own fate, his own destiny that promised to protect and serve. In her eyes, he was her world and what she longed to grow up to be. How naive she was.

She was twelve when it happened. She was learning arithmetic and basic computer programming, the classes at her school were considered split lessons and made learning considerably harder since two teachers were speaking at the same time. She was bored, scribbling circles on her tablet and watching it come to life on the screen in front of her. The secretary from the office came in, "Antonina Dragov, you're wanted in the principal's office." The entire classroom erupted in a unanimous 'ooh' and watched as she gathered up her things and followed the older Asian woman. Her mother was sitting in the middle of the office, a pristine white dress with her brilliant blonde hair tied up in a sleek bun; she screamed perfection. Lips outlined in blood red and brown eyes framed with dark lashes. The principal offered her to take a seat but she refused. The room was engulfed in awkward silence before her mother's lips puckered and began to move; the words that left her mouth made her world stop.

"Your father is dead."

A part of her died that day and even more of her was spirited away when an all consuming rage bubbled inside her, her fist landed squarely on her mother's cheek as she spat on her. Her mother dared to look shocked as if she hadn't earned the swing. It didn't even take a moment for her mother to tell her that she'd be staying with her father's grandmother until her father's funeral.  
Even after her father's funeral, her mother made no sign to retrieve her. Two days later she officially unclaimed her as her child, disowning her and leaving her parentless. The rage turned into fury, then that fury turned into a monstrous resentment to both of her parents that left her alone in the world.  
Her grandmother, an elderly Bulgarian woman that tended to garden her days away, took on the role of her guardian. It lasted a total of five years before her grandmother passed away. Once again, the resentment returned and she was utterly alone.

She joined the military, getting through basic and then getting dishonorably discharged after she engaged in several fist fights with other soldiers.

Wanting to start her life completely new, she stopped going by Antonina and started going by Nina; a nickname that her father often called her.

That's how she got here, binding her hands in cheap tape and spitting blood on a cement floor. The skin on her knuckles was peeling back and several bruises started to form on her face, swelling her left cheekbone and the bridge of her nose; maybe she broke it again. Wiggling the offending bone, she felt the pain spidering down her face and liquid starting to drip down her cupid's bow.

"Definitely broken," Nina muttered, peeking her tongue out from her pink lips and licking it away, "that's gonna cost a pretty penny to fix." The door behind her slammed open, rattling as it hit the stone wall. Nina didn't have to turn to know who it was, only one person was brazen enough to interrupt her cool-down between matches. A booming laugh bounced off the naked walls, "that last match made me quite a bit of money!" The heavy accent wasn't lost on her ears even though his footfalls were booming. His callous hands slapped down on her shoulder, making her wince as an old shoulder wound begged her to shrug his hand off; she did just that. A snarl left her mouth as she physically snapped at him, "don't touch the merchandise."

Felix Gustafson was a large and brawny, years of hard labor under the sun obviously showed with his tanned skin. Several lines across his biceps and deltoids were nearly white, every scar screaming to tell its story. An unruly wispy gray beard and equally wispy gray hair that was combed back, framed his head. Hard brown eyes that always seemed to have a joyous twinkle in them.

He leaned in and winked, "I've touched the merchandise time and time before, _Flicka_." Her nose scrunched up as her eyes narrowed, "you're a dirty old man."

His laugh was just as deafening as his footsteps, but it soon quieted down, "you still up for another session after your last match? I have my tools set up." Nina gave an affirmative nod before standing up, tapping her knuckles against his shoulder as she turned, "you owe me two for the money I've been making you." Felix rolled his eyes and clasped his hand on her should again, squeezing it softly, "anything for the star of the Old Slums." She scoffed and rolled her shoulder, letting his hand fall naturally as she stalked towards the door he had entered through.

"Make me a hundred more and I'll make it three!" Felix yelled after her and all she returned was a flick of her middle finger over her shoulder. The hallways were sweltering, even the walls were sweating making the mildew smell harsher than usual. Loud thumping came from the next door over and when she pushed through the old, wooden door, the noise and heat burst against her face. The bar grew double in noise as the door swung open, a wave of people screamed her name.

"Nina! Nina! Nina!" A chant, of sorts. Her lips curled into a confident grin as she lifted up her arms, showcasing the bruises and cuts along them. The crowd burst into shrieks as they parted, letting her glide towards the middle of the bar. A classic boxing ring, an antique from the twenty-first century that Felix had paid a pretty penny for. Blood smeared against the material of the mat and sweat staining the rope.  
Nina's current opponent stood within the ring, bouncing on the pads of his feet and shaking out his arms. If she knew one thing, it wasn't to judge a book by its cover; he was a lithe looking man, scrawny arms, and beady eyes. Completely bald with tattoos across his scalp and spotted across his face. Swinging her body low, she crawled into the ring with catlike grace. The crowd had started to gather around the ring once again, screaming and yelling out over the blaring music. The adrenaline in her veins that had started to die down started back up again.

Nina stretched her arms out, rolling her neck all while keeping her eyes trained on the man standing in front of her.

All while this was happening, she could feel hundreds of eyes settle on her form, but she failed to notice to two people in the back corner of the club piercing her with their gazes. When a bell rang overhead and she threw herself into her opponent, the gazes followed her and the people turned to each other, speaking briefly before downing the rest of their drinks and joining the crowd.

Nina let a war cry rip from deep within her chest, an animalistic shriek that was louder than the crowd that only served to spur them on. The man was quick to block, joining his forearms together in front of him, but with a quick twist of her front landing foot, she easily bowed herself down and put all the power behind her fist as she reared it up underneath his arms. A crunch from his jaw resonated down her arms as she uppercut him, letting him stagger back before kicking her right foot out against his knee.  
He stumbled to the ground, kneeling in front of her very much like a knight would do to his queen. When she went to hook his jaw, he jarred his head back and dodged easily. As he fell backward, with the speed of a viper, he hooked his leg around the back of her knee and pulled her towards him.

She was taken off guard for a split second, but as she fell she used the momentum to pile drive her shoulder against his sternum. He spluttered out a breath, his forearm immediately meeting her throat in a chokehold. His legs wrapped around her waist, pulling her back flush with his chest as he arched up. Nina didn't waste time to pull his arm away from her throat, but instead bent them and started ramming her elbows into his ribs. Her shoulders screamed as they stretched back, the bruises from the matches before pulled her muscle cruelly. She didn't give him the satisfaction of feeling her throat expand to retrieve shuttering breaths, instead, she held it and tightened her abdominals; peeling herself away from his chest and his body followed hers, rightfully so. His arm tightened against her throat as she moved against his hold, crushing her esophagus in a painful way; that'd bruise soon.  
As they both sat up, Nina wedged her arms in between the small of her waist and the bend of his knees, beginning to force his hips back. He let out a small cry, his breath hitting her ear as she reared her head back and slammed it against his face. Her skull rang, but the gratifying noise of breaking bone drowned out all around her. His arm left her throat and she could finally breathe. Nina didn't give him a reprieve as she yanked her arms back, flipping his legs over her head as she ducked down; his body slammed against the mat.

She rolled away from him, using her forearms to spring up to all fours before bringing herself up to her feet. Nina coughed harshly while the blood pumped in her ears, wiping away the snot that ran from her nose revealing that the bloody nose from earlier had started to mix with her watering nose. She grunted and waited for the man to get up; there was no honor in beating a downed man.

"Get up you cunt!"

Someone screamed from the crowd.

"No grown man wants to be bested by a woman, of all things!"

Nina growled towards the direction of that cry, eyes narrowing as she searched the crowd. She could tell her mouth lifted in a sneer as she noticed two people that looked out of place. They were towards the back, but one was in a casual suit and the other was in a full blown military uniform. While the bar had seen its share of military personnel, none had come in with an entire military uniform on. While the military man and she had locked eyes, the distraction earned her a nasty hook to her jaw. Her teeth rattled in her mouth, biting down on her tongue as the skin along her jaw warmed from the punch. Her eyes left the military man and landed on her heavily breathing opponent; blood started to stream from his nose and it was already bruising.

Nina snarled before barreling towards him, spinning away from another wild punch before shoulder checking him making him trip over his own feet. Her hands unclenched and clenched again, stretching her fingers as she landed a kidney punch as his arms flung out to catch himself. Pulling back when she sucker punched him, she reeled back her arm before slamming her fist against his ribs. The breath left his chest as he fell like a tree that had been cut from the trunk. His eyes were dazed, but he was breathing before his eyes fluttered closed, raising a shaky arm in the air to signal his defeat.

If she thought the crowd was deafening before, her ears rang from the shouting and screaming now. With the prowess of a wild cat, she makes her way over to her opponent before yanking him up to his feet. She raised both of their hands high above with receives a louder response before she made her way down from the ring. It was then that Felix comes from her right side, leaning up against her injured form and blocking hands from what he liked to call "adoring fans". Felix led her to the back room before departing shortly after, leaving her to tend to her wounds and lick some wounded pride.


	2. Chapter 2

**Worth Fighting For**  
 _SyntheticProduct_

 _Special shout-out to **AJSM** , who helped me sort out the main character and gave me the inspiration to write another Aliens story. ;)_

* * *

 _Chapter Two_

* * *

The night dwindled on, patrons started leaving and bid their farewells as they stumbled out the door.

Nina had re-entered the bar briefly after her final match. As she walked across the main floor towards the bar, she returned every congratulation with a smile and every jab with a snarky comment about how she'd be happy to face them tomorrow in the ring; that usually shut them up pretty quickly. She threw back more than her fair share of burning shots of alcohol, waiting for a pleasant warmth spread over her body and she felt considerably lighter A few regulars slithered up next to her, rubbing elbows and sharing new stores. Felix kept her company as he tended the bar, cutting her off after the seventh shot of whiskey, "I need your head at least two feet below the clouds if you still want your session tonight."  
Nina reluctantly agreed and began nursing a tall glass of water that Felix retrieved from the tap.

Although she tried to focus on the flowing conversation, the soldier she saw earlier stayed in her back of her mind. He looked eerily familiar to her and that made all other thoughts easily clouded. She couldn't make out distinguishing features from the distance they had between them, but his eyes seemed like they were searching hers for something. The unpleasant distraction had earned her a tender, swollen jaw; it served an important lesson that she dared not repeat. _"Distractions can get you killed, always zero in on your enemy."_ Her father's voice echoed and she chased away his ghost by chugging the remainder of her dirty water. Felix watched her with calculating, narrowed eyes. Nina shot the same look back at him, "yes, Old Man?"

He tilted his chin towards her as his hands busied themselves with drying washed cups, "throat bothering you?" Unconsciously her hand slid up to her throat, thumb stroking the bruised flesh before it dropped back to her glass, "I've had worse." Her voice came through very hoarse, almost as if she was ill.

Felix chuckled, his eyes darting down to his hands, "I know. Remember the time you came stumbling into the house, gun shot in your shoulder and stomach nearly sliced open?" Nina chuckled lowly as if remembering a pleasant memory, "scared the shit out of Eliza," his lovely wife always twittered around Nina whenever she visited, constantly paranoid that Nina was somehow concealing a life threatening injury, "never seen her move so fast before." They both shared a quiet bout of laughter. Nina felt the corner's of her lips turn up, stretching her tender skin. Eliza was a stout woman, barely coming up to Nina's shoulders with sun damaged skin that was sprinkled with sores from working in the factories. She had the brightest green eyes paired with gray streaked, chocolate hair that was always toppled atop her head messily. Unlike Felix, she had lost her accent when they moved to Old New York City.  
Speaking of the woman, she suddenly popped up beside Nina, hands sliding over Nina's figure; searching her for injuries.

"I still don't know why you put yourself in such dangerous positions," Eliza scolded, her thin lips puckering, "my worse fear would be burying your lifeless corpse, you know?" Eliza's kind eyes sought out Nina's in different ones. All at once, the older woman dropped her hands to her sides, a heavy sigh leaving her mouth.

"That's better than burying me alive." Nina teased, earning her a soft tap to her temple as Eliza tutted her. A wide smile spread over her lips as she wiped her hands on her apron, shooing her husband from behind the bar, "you owe our little warrior her prize, now get." Felix raised his hands up in mock surrender, a playful smirk appearing on his face as he swooped down to smother her with a fierce kiss.

"As you wish, _min_ _fru; jag älskar dig_." Eliza sighed contently as their foreheads met, " _Jag älskar dig med._ "

Eliza gave Nina a fleeting smile before turning to a customer that was seated down from them. There were no words spoken between Felix and Nina as he inclined his head towards the back room while she only replied with a brief nod. They both started heading back, silence enveloping them before they breached the back room.  
When they were alone, Nina finally relaxed and let go of the tension that was running hard in her body as she slammed down on a reclined chair.

Felix rounded the chair on the left side, fiddling with a black bag with his eyes diverted down on the young girl as she buried her head into the crook of her tanned arm. He clicked his tongue, bringing out a handheld device that had a striking resemblance to an old fashioned gun.

"Did you even wash up after the match?" Nina turned her head towards him, giving an impudent look, "I'm not using your shitty showers that don't have a lock on them," she snorted, eyes glazing over slightly, "that's how bad things start; you always want a locked door between you and everything else." Felix rolled his eyes, guffawing as he started tapping on a digitalized screen that was hooked up to his wrist, "you finally going to let me tattoo my face on your ribs?"

Nina's eyes narrowed as she stared up at him, "as soon as Hell freezes over." He replied with a chuckle, flipping a series of switches on the tattoo gun before it whirled to life, "I'll start with the one you wanted on your shoulder."

"Sounds good to me, Boss." Nina laid back down, head resting in the crook of her elbow, tired eyes closing as he brought the laser down to her skin. She had felt worse pain in her life, but the numbing pain that the laser gun gave her made the muscle tense considerably. Felix moved the laser gun with skilled hands as the laser imprinted the ink upon her bruised skin. They didn't talk much, just a few words here and there as his hands glided over her skin. Considering the pain that was being inflicted on her, she was unflinching. Felix paused for a moment, wiping away the dead skin from his work, "so are you ever going to explain any of your tattoos to me?"

Nina didn't move as she replied: "The day I do, it'll be on my deathbed." She couldn't see him rolling his eyes as he unexpectedly started the inking process again, making Nina hiss an explicit curse directed to Felix's mother.

"So how much did you make off the matches tonight?" Her question was muffled by her arm, but his aging ears heard it anyway.

"About five-hundred, I don't know why people still bet against you; giving your track record."

Nina scoffed, "everyone loves an underdog."

"Isn't that what you are?" Nina wanted to reach back and smack him, but decided against it, only because she didn't want to mess up her tattoo.

"Shut up, Grandpa." Her response was still muffled.

"Is this your way of telling me you're pregnant? Wouldn't surprise me." A low growl left Nina's mouth, "shut up, Old Man," she shifted slightly; her face now directed towards him, "you ain't my old man; he's filled with holes and spaced." Felix clicked his tongue, "only ill will comes with talking about the dead." Nina didn't reply, instead, she watched his face morph slowly into an expression of sorrow.

"You know," she started, eyes departing from his face as she stared straight ahead of her, "you and Eliza have been more like parents to me, comparatively." Felix's hands stopped his ministrations, laying an open palm on her head and scrunching her hair lovingly, "you know we consider you our daughter, Nina."

Nina smiled softly, hiding it behind her arm, "don't get soft on me, Old Man." He replied with a scoff before continuing his work. The tattoo that he was currently working on was a bit more complicated than her others. A battlefield cross that expanded from below her shoulder blade towards the edge of her tailbone. A pair of combat boots that held an assault rifle, standing erect with unintelligible dog tags hanging from the pistol grip. A combat helmet set lopsidedly on the muzzle, a large chunk of the side missing. It held no indications of who it belonged to, and it was only for her to know. Perhaps, one day, she'd share the meaning with someone special, if she could ever meet someone special.  
As Felix was flushing out some minor details on the tattoo, the door to the room opened. Nina didn't spare a glance up, at first, thinking it was Eliza, but Felix's hard tone made her eyes flutter open.

"Something you need, gentlemen?"

It was the soldier she made eye contact with earlier and the man wearing the casual suit. When she got a closer look at the soldier, her memory clicked. She couldn't help but groan and bury her face back into her elbow.  
Felix noticed this, placing a protective hand on her shoulder, "someone you know?" Nina nodded slowly before lifting it weakly, "what do you need, Gorman?"

Something in his face seemed relieved that she remembered him. He patted his forehead with a handkerchief; God, she forgot just how much he sweated. She grimaced, "I sure hope it's for business and not pleasure." His face turned pink when suddenly the other man stepped forward, a hand bracing Gorman's chest.

"I can assure you, Ms. Dragov that we are here strictly for business." The man gave Gorman a sharp look. Nina internally groaned, just by the way he spoke she knew that he worked for some sort of company and probably held a position high up in the offices. So dignified with an air of a condescending attitude; she already didn't like him. Well that, and the fact that he was dressed like his mother still picked out his clothes. She bit her tongue to suppress a chuckle that threatened to spill out, resulting in a loud, unladylike snort. Felix's hand gripped her shoulder harder, almost with a bruising force. He probably thought they were more debt collectors. Nina turned her head back towards Felix, making eye contact with him, "military." Was all Nina said and his grip relaxed.

Nina had done closed contracts with the military, after all, that's how she started out in her mercenary work - doing jobs too dirty for the military. Felix nodded and returned to his work as Nina turned her head towards the two men again. Gorman's eyes trailed over the expanse of her naked back, making an uncomfortable shiver tingle down her spine; definitely not the good kind.

"I'm Carter Burke." Momma's boy announced, looking overly pleased with himself. Nina wanted, so badly, to pop his little bubble. Cocking an eyebrow, she smiled to herself, "am I suppose to know who you are? Is that name suppose to mean something to me?" Watching his ego deflate gave Nina immense pleasure. Felix chortled above her, giving a painful flick to the back of her ear.

"Still rude as ever, I see." Gorman quietly added. Nina eyed him wearily, her smile vanishing almost as quickly as it came.

"If I remember your service record accurately, you were cited for multiple incidents of insubordination and violence against your peers." That inflated ego was back with a vengeance. Nina shrugged lightly, trying to play off the thundering of her heart, "if questioning the uppers about their intentions is qualified as insubordination, I plead guilty." She tried to make her voice as indifferent as possible. To this, Gorman shifted his feet, looking off to the side. Gorman, at one point, had trained her during basic; he knew how outspoken she had been against the military and government plans. At one point, he had been outspoken too, "and the violence against my peers is bullshit. It was in defense of the other women and myself. There are some nasty pieces of work in the military; Gorman knows a few of them." To that, Gorman only cleared his throat and shook his head when Burke looked at him.

To that, Nina snarled: "I guess he's one of them now." That statement seemed to hit him where it hurt, Gorman stepped forward with nostrils flared. It was as far as Nina let him get, "I wouldn't do something we both would regret, Scott. We both know I can ruin your career with a few choice words to the right people."

There was a moment of silence as Burke looked at Gorman, eyes narrowed in questioning.

Felix was the next person to speak, "I presume you actually came here for a reason, other than to pester Nina." Burke cleared his throat, smiling smugly as he stepped forward, pushing Gorman back behind him. He then unfolded something from his inner jacket pocket, handing it with the utmost care, as if it were going to break, to Nina. With an outstretched hand, Nina signaled for Felix to stop briefly as she sat up. She gathered her shirt with one arm, letting the bundle of clothes shield her breasts from the two pairs of prying eyes. Gorman's eyes trailed down her lean torso and when they trailed up to Nina's eyes, she sent him a hard set scowl.

The envelope that Burke had handed her was thick with documents, folded carefully inside of it. Her full name was printed on the front with the current date; however, the red emboldened word **CONFIDENTIAL** is what stood out the most.

"Read it. We'll be back tomorrow night for your answer." They departed after Burke spoke. Gorman offered Nina a fleeting glance back as they exited the room, leaving Nina slightly dumbstruck and wondering what exactly was in the blasted envelope.


	3. Chapter 3

**Worth Fighting For**  
 _SyntheticProduct_

 _Special shout-out to **AJSM** , who helped me sort out the main character and gave me the inspiration to write another Aliens story. ;)_

* * *

 _Chapter Three_

* * *

 _To Ms. Antonina, commonly called "Nina", Iliana Dragov,_

 _Hopefully, you receive this message in a timely fashion, as well as with the utmost courtesy. We here at Weyland-Yutani have somewhat of a delicate issue concerning a faction, if you wish to call it that, and would like to inquire your expertise on this pressing matter. Your reputation proceeds you: a skilled gun for hire with a background in the military, where you trained in heavy ordnance. Such skills would be appreciated on such an important job. We have also conducted an inquiry into your past jobs, where we only heard about your explementary work combined with the professional confidentiality that you offer; however, we do not expect you to do this assignment for free.  
Weyland-Yutani is a generous company and as an act of good faith, we have cleared the debts of you and your close acquaintances: Felix and Eliza Gustafson. If you doubt our generosity, we implore you to question said acquaintances and ask your old friend, Kendrick O'Donald and his associates, about your incurred debts; you might find yourself pleasantly surprised. Should you find our generosity true and our good faith acceptable, there will be a large sum of money for taking on this task and completing it; of course._

 _Should you accept this duty, you will find a total of five-thousand adjusted dollars, upon completion of said job, in your account. Another thousand will be added every year for your continued professional confidentiality if said confidentiality stays in tack; if anything should happen to you in the coming years, the thousand adjusted dollars will be put into your beneficiary's account: Nayden Andre Dragov-Fabian. Of course, if anything should happen to the young man, your secondary beneficiary will incur said payment: Felix Gustafson. We, at Weyland-Yutani, sincerely hope that nothing happens to you or said loved ones; however, we must always have a subsidiary plan in place.  
A side job, if you wish to take it upon yourself, will be explained by our associate Mr. Carter Burke. If you accept it, there would be an additional fifteen-thousand adjusted dollars waiting for you upon the completion of said task. This would be considered a bounty and a mission of protection until it arrives into our Company's hands._

 _We at Weyland-Yutani sincerely hope that you'll agree and find said terms satisfactory. Feel free to barter with Mr. Carter Burke if you find any of the terms enclosed, unfair or wanting. Weyland-Yutani is a powerful friend and ally to have, Ms. Dragov, and we hope that you make the right decision; for the betterment of everyone's futures and to build better worlds._

Disbelief was the only thing that could accurately explain how Nina felt after reading the letter. She flipped the letter over several times to try to find some sort of signature but found none. Searching the other papers, she found them to only be legal documents that seemed vaguely familiar. Three different liability waivers, confidentiality agreements, security clearance for information, contractor agreement, and a set of seven pages of specific directions; the contractor agreement caught her eye for a split second, as the detailed explanation was that Nina would officially be a military contractor.  
For a split second, she also felt ecstatic; Weyland-Yutani, **THE** Company, had specifically requested her. She was moving up in the world faster than she could've ever hoped. Besides the fact that this would be the biggest job she ever was contacted for, she'd also be making a fortune. Five-thousand, plus a thousand for the following years, and Nina found herself giddy at the prospect of another fifteen-thousand. With all of this money, she could live off of that for more than ten years; she could even stop taking mercenary work for a while if she so wished.

However, the suspicious amount of generosity was making her waver. Paying the combined sum of more than ten-thousand adjusted dollars in debt, and all in an act of "good faith" was tickling her as odd. Nina knew what it was as soon as she saw it: an act of coercion. Everyone and their mother knew that The Company had more than a fair share of fortune; this wasn't a large sum for them to be throwing around, especially since they built starships that were worth more than all of Old New York City. Just with that vague information alone, Nina knew it was far more dangerous than the letter was letting on. She couldn't complain too much, though. Especially since this was a lot more money than she had ever had her hands on, in her entire lifetime. Nina could feel the greed settle into her bones.

Flopping back onto her king sized mattress that was situated on the stained, concrete floor of her apartment, Nina covered her face with her forearm; letting the papers scattered about. Nina had half a mind to call Felix up and ask his opinion, but she'd rather not find him dead in the morning. The whole letter was framed on a wholly menacing tone surrounding the concept of professional confidentiality, basically telling her to shut her mouth or something bad might happen. "Weyland-Yutani is a powerful friend and ally to have, Ms. Dragov, and we hope that you make the right decision; for the betterment of everyone's futures and to build better worlds." Nina mocked in a high-pitched voice, feeling anger rise in her chest at the mere thought of them essentially blackmailing her and threatening her loved ones. At this point, did she really have a choice?

Gritting her teeth, she decided that the decision that she'd be making could wait until the morning. Although, her mind wondered for a moment and conjured up nightmarish thoughts of Felix finding her bloodied body, positioned to look like a suicide in her bathtub in the following weeks; this wasn't uncommon in her line of work, especially with these kinds of hooded threats. After a while, her clocked neared one in the morning, sleep called her name at last and she greedily answered.

The following morning came sooner than Nina would've liked and she greeted it tiredly. It was five o'clock in the morning and by six, she had already consumed five cups of coffee. She opened her bay window, letting the smog of the city filter in, and greeted the neighborhood stray with a scratch behind the ear. The old, grouchy cat was missing a front leg and an eye; it was dirty and Nina was sure that its fur was covered in scabies. The grouchy cat that she lovingly named Polyphemus, after a Greek cyclops, had a strange love of stale chips covered in sardines; a feast for such a beast. As it sat on her fire escape, its tail flicking back and forth, she set the strange breakfast out for him.  
The cat ate slowly, savoring each bite as if it were its last. Nina perched herself alongside the stray, watching the sun rise behind the gray pollution of the city; an eery shimmer surrounding the citrus orange that painted the skies.  
As people started to stir below her, she began to clean her guns.

Three military pistols (that she had gotten as payment from a previous job), two pulse rifles, and an Ithaca 37.

After cleaning two of her three pistols, she set aside her coffee and started to smoke a pack of previously unopened cigarettes. Nina found herself smoking more when the anxiety bubbled under her skin. The nicotine helped more than it hindered and cigarettes were cheap in the slums; this vice certainly didn't drain her funds.  
As she reached her the last of her pulse rifles, a half smoked cigarette hung casually from her lips as she disassembled it and she began to wipe away the residue that had built up around the barrel. Nina managed to reassemble the rifle before moving on to her Ithaca 37. Her cup of joe was still piping hot, steaming and begging her to drink it. She continued cleaning down her Ithaca, trying to clear her head from everything that happened the day previous. After her mind started to cloud more and more, with sudden frustration, she threw the part she had been cleaning.

A quiet scream left her mouth; she'd get nothing proficiently done at this pace. She didn't even bother cleaning up before slamming her window shut, scaring Polyphemus away from her as it bolted down the fire escape and leaped across to the roof of the building adjacent. Nina took a quick moment to snub her still burning cigarette out by throwing it to the concrete floor and squishing it with her house slipper. She glanced at the clock that sat haphazardly on a cinder block table, noting the time was a quarter after seven before stripping off her pajamas and pulling on only _slightly_ dirty clothing.

A small, blood stained tee and blue overalls that she didn't bother to clasp; they hung precariously from her hips, but they fit snuggly there so there was no fear of them falling. Not bothering with socks, she stuffed her feet into some old combat boots and shuffled her brown, wooly jacket over her shoulders. At the last moment, Nina gathered her brown hair up into a messy bun before grabbing the pack of cigarettes, house keys, and all the papers she had been left with. Leaving her apartment, she patted down her pockets to make sure she had everything she wanted before locking her apartment behind her. Nina set off down six sets of stairs, not bothering with her neighbors as she passed them before making it to the ground level. She all but burst through the main doors and onto the streets, watching as people parted for her. The anger and irritation from the night before had returned ten fold, probably making her look like she was going to bite off someone's head if they spoke to her. Not stopping to greet to any of the vendors, like she usually did, she made a beeline to Felix's bar; half way there, she lit up another cigarette.

Felix and Eliza's house was just behind the bar, paired with a thirty-year-old rusted chain fence that she could easily vault over. The roof was stable enough but was starting to deteriorate. No grass was in their yard, but solid concrete with a lopsided, old fashioned mailbox. The paint was chipping off in large chunks, giving away from the pasty yellow to a pale, amber wood finish below it.

When Nina arrived at the bar, she rounded behind it and vaulted over the chain fence before heading to the back door. Like always, it was locked and just like always, the key was in the same spot too; a false rock next to the deck hid the key from plain sight. After she grabbed it up, she unlocked the door and set the key down on the kitchen table.  
She shut the door behind her quietly, trying her best not to wake Felix or Eliza from their much-needed sleep.

No one was stirring in the house, which wasn't that unusual. The bar opened at noon and the couple tried to get as much sleep as humanly possible, preparing for the day to come. Nina took extra care to step quietly throughout the house, gathering their coffee cups before brewing a fresh pot. She went as far as to cook some eggs and toast some bread, just to keep her mind off of things. Felix would instantly read her like an open book when he saw her. A night of fitful sleep had sunk her eyes in and caused the bruising circles under her eyes to darken. She knew she had coffee breath, despite brushing her teeth twice and to top it off she hadn't showered yet. Felix was definitely going to label her a "hot mess" as he did so often.

After finishing cooking breakfast, she finally heard soft talking coming from their bedroom down the hall. Nina set out plates, purposely making it louder than her earlier movements through the kitchen, and poured their coffee. As she was doing so, she swiped her sixth cup of coffee. Nina sought out the cup that they had bought just for her, a dark green cup with little yellow flowers, and happily drank from it as she reclined back in on of the kitchen chairs; her shins pressing against the edge of the flimsy table with her feet up on the edge of the chair. She nursed her coffee cup to her chest, inhaling the bitter scent and sighing because of it.

She had to smile; Felix was the loudest man on Earth. He'd always try to walk quietly, but his footfalls were near earth shattering in his house. The old foundation creaked under his weight as he made his way towards the kitchen, most likely holding a steel pipe.  
Nina leaned her head back, peering upside down towards the doorway as his towering figure entered it.

He was indeed holding a steel pipe over his shoulder, ready to swing down on a burglar, but his face softened when he noticed it was just her. His entire body relaxed as he set down the pipe before a hearty, but tired laugh left his mouth, "Good God Nina, you'll give me a heart attack one day."

She offered him a tired look, "just trying to keep you on your toes, Old Man." Felix gave a tired grin directed towards Nina before walking into the kitchen, his feet sliding across the chipped, wooden floor towards the kitchen counter. He peered into his coffee cup before scooping it up as Eliza entered the kitchen, hurriedly tying her dressing robe around her waist. When Eliza noticed Nina, she strode over with an amused smile and placed a slightly wet kiss on Nina's forehead, "good morning, _älskling_."

"G'morning," Nina responded, taking a sip of her coffee as she did so, "how'd ya sleep?" Eliza hummed in reply as Felix handed her, her own cup of coffee and gave her a teasing kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"It was alright until we were awoken by someone tip-toeing through the house." Eliza murmured quietly, sending Nina an amused stare. Nina set down her cup and threw her hands up in the air, "I see how it is, I do something nice and everyone freaks out." Felix grumbled, stuffing a piece of toast into his mouth as he scratched his lower stomach, "if you mean by something nice, by nearly giving my wife a stroke and myself a heart attack then yes, it was a very sweet sentiment." Nina rolled her eyes before gathering up her cup again, "drama queen." She whispered behind the rim of the cup, bracing herself as Felix smacked the back of her head.

She rubbed the tender spot before glowering at him, "fucking asshole." Felix gave her his trademark eyebrow lift, a smirk twitching at his lips, "you say that but I can still win an arm wrestling match; in fact, isn't that how we met?"

Nina half snarled and half chuckled, "that was nearly six years ago and I was still a child; you're really boasting about that?" Felix roared with laughter, this time his hand landing on her shoulder as he took a seat next to her, "alright, let's have another go then."

"Ah, ah, ah - not on the kitchen table and certainly not in my house," Eliza interrupted, placing the plate of food Nina made in front of Felix, "this is a violence-free home." Felix rolled his eyes, shooting his wife a toothy grin, "I thought you liked it rough, _min kärlek_." Nina nearly spits out her coffee as rapturous laughter left her mouth and as her head was thrown back from the sheer force of the laughter, Eliza promptly swatted Felix on the shoulder. Felix joined in on the laughter, "I thought this was a violence-free home."

Eliza harumphed, "that rule doesn't apply to me." The statement caused Nina to break out in more laughter.

* * *

Nina leaned against the rotting wood of the back porch, a cigarette between her fingers as the hot morning air stroked the sweat beneath her shirt. Her jacket was abandoned inside the house, hanging on the back of a kitchen chair. Her worries seemed to be as fleeting as the smoke coming from her cigarette as she heard Felix and Eliza talking, muffled by the dilapidated walls of their house. When the back door opened, Nina lazily lolled her head to the side as Felix closed the door behind him.

"You know, Eliza hates it when you smoke."

"Says the man that smokes a pack a day," Nina snorted, "she just doesn't see it, but you and I both know that she smells it." Nina fished her pack out of her pocket before patting another cigarette out before handing him it. He took it without any reservations before beckoning with his hand for something else. She took a plasma lighter from her pocket and handed it to him as well. He lit it up quickly before handing it back, puffing out a few brief breaths of smoke, "so, what's bothering you today?"

Nina couldn't help but feel a tad annoyed by how fast he had smelt out her emotional state, a weakened one that she didn't like to show: "I don't know what you're talking about, Old Man."

He glanced out of the corner of his eye, grumbling something inaudible, "Coming over and cooking breakfast? I may not be your father, but I definitely know when something's wrong." Nina proceeded to shrug her shoulders, casually flicking the ash from her cigarette. The once burning cherry red ash scattered onto the wooden porch, quickly turning into a smoldering gray, "I got a job offer." Felix chuckled lowly, "and that's cause for some trepidation I suppose?"

She sighed, letting her breath hit her chest as she lowered her head, "Yeah, it seems a little suspicious is all. They sent a letter, nothing too detailed and they want me to meet with a so-called 'middle man' to talk more, but only if I accept the job," Nina looked up, glancing at the early afternoon sky before her, "I don't know I get this uneasy feeling in my gut, but it's good pay and I really need it..." She breathed in deeply through her nose before looking straight into Felix's eyes, "they've paid off your debts and mine. They're so oddly generous that one can't help but feel a little uncomfortable with it all."

Felix nodded his head along, letting the subtle breeze carry away the cindering smoke from the cigarette, "they're trying to bribe you then?"

Again, Nina shrugged, "blackmailing me too, very subtly. They mentioned Nayden in the letter; how deep do you think they had to look for that one?" She couldn't stop the sorrowful chuckle from leaving her lips as she raised her cigarette to her mouth once again. Felix visibly stiffened from beside her, "who exactly are you dealing with?"

"Can't say. Not to you or Eliza at least, I don't need your death's on my conscious, too."

"So they're that dangerous."

Nina nodded, "I've heard rumors, but I'd rather be safe than sorry and I'd be very sorry if something were to happen to the two of you."

The silence was palpable between them, but the city moved on. There were car alarms and traffic that whizzed by, the shouts of laborers and the quiet chirping of the occasional bird.

"I guess the only question is: is it enough for you to leap head first in, whatever they're offering?" Felix's question hung in the air as she threw down her cigarette, snuffing it out with the sole of her boot. Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she leaned back against the wall again.

"After they mentioned all the names they did, I feel like I have no other choice." She stared off, only stirring as Felix gently placed his hand on her shoulder, "Eliza and I will do whatever we can to help if you accept."

Nina chuckled breathily, "that's what I'm worried about."


	4. Chapter 4

**Worth Fighting For**  
 _SyntheticProduct_

 _Special shout-out to **AJSM** , who helped me sort out the main character and gave me the inspiration to write another Aliens story. ;)_

* * *

 _Chapter Four_

* * *

When Nina was younger, she made a lot of idiotic decisions. There were questionable relationships that she'd always regret: romantic rendezvous in seedy hotel rooms that she had snuck out of at the crack of dawn, tip-toeing around on the stained carpet carefully collecting her clothes from them and eyeing her bedfellow for the night. The relationship she was disappointed in most, was one of opportunity. Kendrick O'Donald was a silver-tongued, beady-eyed devil that enticed her with a deal that seemed too good to be true; she should've listened to her instincts back then, but she was young and stupid - oh so very stupid. He seemingly offered everything she was craving with open arms: a family, one so tightly knit that nothing could tear them apart; enough money to support her and her endeavors, and most importantly food and a roof over her head.

She was green, a newbie with eyes wide with innocence; something he had ripped away from her before she was able to say good-bye.

She was eighteen when she killed someone for the first time, only a year after signing her deal with the devil. Nina remembers it like it happened yesterday, flashing behind her eyelids everytime she blinked and echoing in her mind when she dreamed. It had been a boy, no older than herself that had sunk to his knees. Snot was dripping from his red-tipped nose as tears dribbled down his cheeks in thin streams, dripping off the awkward angles of his jaw. Dirt speckled his tanned skin, she could've mistaken them for freckles until his tears touched them and washed them away. Tattered clothes, ripped and torn in ways that she knew he had been grabbed out of his bed, dragged to the alley he was currently kneeling in. He groveled and pleaded with abandon, no embarrassment hinted in his eyes as he stared up at her. Her hands shook under the weight of the gun that was thrust into her hands; she swore that in his eyes, she saw the devil staring back at her and this time it wasn't Kendrick: it was her.

A heavy hand was firmly grasping her shoulder as he pulled himself down so his breath was tickling her ear, "just pull the trigger, Nina. He's a rat, a dirty rat that would nark on his family - your family, _our_ family; he'd throw you into jail just because of a few tricks we've spun. He'd tear it all apart, pull it asunder at the threads holding it together. Just pull it," his grasp grew tighter as the muzzle started pulling towards the ground, "Nina, if you do this, you won't have to worry about anything ever again. You'll always have a place, with me, with us."

She wanted to close her eyes, but he told her to open them and watch as his blood painted the brick. She swallowed the lump building in her throat, feeling the heat build in her veins as she stared him down.

"Do it." He egged her on.

"Do it and you'll have a family."

It was all she ever wanted and he knew that.

She moved like a puppet and he was a puppeteer. With a simple drum of his fingers on her shoulder, she squeezed the trigger and watched as the cement ran red. She hardly noticed the tears pooling in her eyes as she turned to Kendrick, smiling like a puppy that was getting a treat. He patted her head, "good girl, you've done such a good thing."

The boy she killed had a little sister he was trying to look after and a few days later, she wound up dead and her body dumped in the polluted river. She knew she had two victims that day she pulled the trigger: Tommy "The Nark" Forney and little Elizabeth Forney, who would've celebrated her twelfth birthday only a week later; if only she had turned the gun on Kendrick. If only.

* * *

Nina lit up her sixth cigarette, her back grinding against the old brick of an old outlet mall that had turned into a homeless hub. People rushed around her, but she was a rock in a steady stream. She could distinctly feel the droop in her eyes as she stared across the street, eyeing the familiar building with a sense of age-old nostalgia. Her cigarette smoke burnt her nostrils at it burned to the filter, letting it drop from her mouth and lay at her feet with all her other butts. The sun was going to set soon, but she had patience; it was one of the only good things she learned when she was running with O'Donald's gang.

He wasn't as feared as he used to be, bigger and better gangs were springing up left and right. Kendrick was stuck in his old ways that it seemed as if he was being left behind, collecting cobwebs and left in the dust of younger people building their empires upon his ashes. She held hope for the longest time that he had died, but since he was still collecting money from businesses for insurance, he was still alive and kicking.  
His store was still in the same place she had last seen it, the front was a pawn shop, but anyone that lived long enough in these parts knew what it truly was.

Nina pushed herself off the building, watching an older man stumble away from the shop clutching a datapad in his hands. Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she shuffled across the street. Truly a woman on a mission, she shoved past the steady stream and only removed her hands from her pockets when she pushed open the door. She had been staking out her true old stomping grounds for a few hours, her eyes following every single person leaving. The old-fashioned bell rang from above the door and she looked around the store quietly; nothing changed. The items that were on sale when she reported in so very long ago, were still hanging up, dust collecting on the surfaces with the same 'for sale' signs dangling from them.

Snorting, she stalked towards the front counter. He was so old-fashioned, always idolizing the 21st century with their "primitive mindset".

A new face was at the front, a young girl with gangly limbs and stringy, blonde hair that fell in front of her face like a curtain, hiding her eyes from sight. Nina clicked her tongue, Kendrick never really knew how to teach the newbies new strategies. He favored innocent, young things in the front with a pulse rifle under the counter; probably still had the screens of "troublemakers" under their too. The girl was probably staring straight at hers right now. The girl's arm went under the counter, most likely for the silent alarm, but before she had a chance to hit it, Nina had lurched over the counter and yanked the girl by the front of her shirt so roughly that her body hit the counter with a loud bang. The girl immediately yelped in pain, her arm still reaching under the counter, frantically feeling for the raised metal.

Nina spun her around, using her weight against the girl that probably weighed half of her soaking wet. She quickly put her in a choke hold and dragged her over the counter ledge, pinning her torso against the counter and spreading the girl's legs with her own.  
Nina brought her mouth to the girl's ear, "now, you're going to leave and go back to your rat hole. You're not going to worry about narking me out to any of your little leaders," she added a little pressure to the girl's trachea, listening to the breath catching in her throat, "you're going to be a good girl and go home, go home and get out of this life because one day you'll wind up in the river. Got me?" The girl only nodded her head, her fingers digging into Nina's coat material.

"Good girl," she reluctantly let her go, "and watch your scrawny ass next time, your reactions are too damned slow to be in this business, girl." The thing shook like leaf trying to hang on to a branch in the winter, only nodded and beelining towards the front door. Nina huffed and started towards the back, only stopping for a small voice: "thank you." The door rang and Nina tried not to let her old demons strangle her.

She cracked her neck and confidently barged into the backroom, lingering smoke from cigarettes and cigars wafting out behind her. She cracked a smile at the circle of older men sitting at the table, "miss me?"

* * *

Nina spit the blood that collected in her mouth onto the floor, her knuckles were split open once again and the sting of oxygen burned fiercely.

After launching herself across the table, her eyes narrowing in on the devil himself, Kendrick O'Donald, she had exchanged punches with several people. She had managed to knock out one of them straight away, a precise jab to the man's neck and he was down, only after smacking his head on the edge of the tossed table. Nina quickly rounded on the man that was next to him, his hand plunging into his pocket. She could feel the adrenaline pounding in her ears as she ducked behind the table. Several shots sounded off before a dull click, hissing as a round skimmed her shoulder after entering the metal table. She mentally prepared herself as blood dribbled down her shoulder before vaulting over the table and skidding across the ground, knocking out his shins and sending him to the ground.

A familiar prickle appeared on her skin as she rolled over to his prone body, ignoring his groaning protests and the strain in her arms from his weight as pulled him on top of her. Several more rounds from a pistol blasted off in her direction. Blooms of cement dust rose from missed shots before entering her meatshield. She heard his agonizing screams as she used the excess material from his dress jacket to hold him up. A few moments passed before she pushed his lifeless body down, the blood covering her clothes as her eyes darted around the room.

Two more men stood in her way of Kendrick O'Donald. She cracked a cocky smile, raising a brow at him before quickly standing up and dashing towards the man that had reloaded his pistol. He was packing a familiar pistol; military-grade issued probably bought off the black market. Her hand quickly grasped the muzzle of his pistol as he pointed it towards her, her free hand making a half-fist before she forced it up to his nose. A sickening crack, one that filled her with a delightful craze, as she pushed against her hand, stomping down on his foot with gusto. Leaning down, she drove her head into his sternum. Her momentum gave her an advantage, letting him stumble backward before he swung blindly on her. He clocked her with a mean right hook, his left hand covering his bleeding nose. Her lip was busted, she could taste the copper in her mouth; it fueled her frenzied rage even more. Using her newly obtained weapon, she smashed it on his right temple.

Before she could do any more damage, she was grappled from behind. Arms squeezed her mid-section, aggravating her older wounds as she let out a hiss as something popped in her lower back. The man in front of her surprised her by supporting himself against the wall and pushing himself off of it, his hands recoiling into fists as he launched himself at her.

"Can't teach an old dog new tricks, huh?" Kendrick's voice thrummed deep inside her head as she only smirked as the man coming towards her, quickly punched her straight in her cheek; the shock forcing her head upwards as another hit landed to the bottom of her jaw. Her brain was forming into jelly, her only reaction was to raise her legs and kick him where the sun didn't shine. He low whine erupted from his lips as he fell to his knees, grabbing at his groin. She forced her head forward and then slammed it back into the man's face that was holding her. Her head was spinning, but his arms loosened enough where she could quickly crouch and use the swinging gravity to wrap her arms around his waist before hoisting him over her shoulder and into the man that was kneeling, now behind her. They crumpled into a pile on top of her each other before Nina spun on her heel, delivering two harsh kicks to each of the men's heads; a precaution, double tap everything.

The gun she had gained was now abandoned on the ground as she spun, watching as Kendrick was trying to hurry out of the room. She caught up to his stride, pulling him back by his collar and then to the ground. He squirmed on the ground as she picked up the pistol and turning on him, the muzzle pressed squarely against his forehead. She cracked a wide, bloody grin as more blood dripped from her nose, "now, O'Donald, I have some questions, and you're going to answer like a good dog, right?"

He only nodded as he stared up at her.

If only. If only.


	5. Chapter 5

**Worth Fighting For**  
 _SyntheticProduct_

 _Special shout-out to **AJSM** , who helped me sort out the main character and gave me the inspiration to write another Aliens story. ;)_

* * *

 _Chapter Five_

* * *

Kendrick O'Donald let out a short cry as Nina pistol-whipped him across his face, letting a bruise bloom on his pale skin, "I think I asked you a question." She counted to five, letting him get his thoughts in order. He raised his hand to his jaw, making her itchy trigger finger twitch, "Woah now, I'm just checking out the damage." It wasn't like he could do anything right now, she had patted him down and took his gun, datapad, and the blade he hid in his right shoe. Kendrick pressed two fingers to his jaw, rubbing it in small circles as his eyes stayed on her. She just gave him a small grin, "done?"

"Look, Nina, I don't know why you came in here like you were storming Normandy beach, but - " She didn't let him finish as she swiftly kicked him in his thigh, "stop simpering and answer the damn question before I lose my patience, now," she knelt down to his height, waving the gun in his face, "this Burke guy has become a person of interest, now you answer me, who is he?"

Kendrick's tongue swept over his bottom lip, his eyes narrowing before he answered: "All I know is he took an interest in you. Asked all these questions and paid a handsome sum to get your information, you know we keep an eye on all our kids." Nina spit in his face, watching the blood and saliva run down his busted face, "I ain't apart of your family anymore O'Donald, I'm not surprised you'd sell me out though."

"I didn't sell out anyone. I gave information that I had readily, didn't have to dig to see where you were working now; word gets around about the best fighter in The Cage. Felix is quite the boisterous fella."

"That's what a real family does when they're proud of someone, not hit them around like a bait dog," Nina growled, sitting back on her haunches as she contemplated something, "anything else interesting that this Burke fellow mentioned?"

"Said you'd come 'round, sniffling like a dog," he grinned to himself, "said to tell you to meet him at The Voyager." Nina's hand whipped out faster than she could think, grasping his face in her hold and squeezing it, pulling her face towards his.

"Now how'd he find out about The Voyager?" Before he had a chance to open his mouth, she pulled him closer so her breath was fanning over his features, "How did he find out?" She released his face from her hold, pushing it aside so he could answer.

"Came up in conversation."

Nina fought the ever-present urge to roll her eyes, "tonight, I think he specified. Of course, the details," he raised his hand to tap his bruised temple, "this rattled brain seems to forget a lot of things." Nina glanced around the room, watching as one of the unconscious men groaned and the room started to perfume from the blood spilled.

"Well then, I better get going, huh?" She said to no one imparticular as she checked to make sure the gun was loaded. She started whistling something loudly as she stood up, "now, Nina we can talk about this." Kendrick stammered.

"Nothing to talk about, old pal. Like you said, can't teach old dogs new tricks." She spun around, gun raised up before pulling the trigger.

* * *

Nina forgot how hard it was to conceal blood on her clothes. As she was making her way back to her apartment, she got several looks as she shuffled along and folding herself into her damp coat. The two new guns and blade were stuck in her pockets, jingling as she started up the stairs to her apartment. Unlocking it like every other time she entered her own little slice of heaven, she was greeted with an unfamiliar sight. She could feel her chest roll in anger, the man she had just faced down O'Donald to squeeze information about was standing in the middle of her apartment.

The mere sight of the sleazeball made her want to strangle him, as well as throw herself out the window in frustration. He was sifting through some of her papers and books she had left out on her dining table, or what she liked to call her dining table; it was a second-hand end table she found being sold at the bazaar with old stains and etchings sprawled along it. He was so un-self-aware that it was almost laughable. Nina sighed, wanting nothing more than to take a shower and get the dried blood off of her. Honestly, who do these people think they are? She didn't even turn around to slam the door behind her. With great amusement, she watched as he jumped about ten feet in the air.

She must've looked a mess because when he turned around, his eyes were wide; either that or he was just surprised that he was caught. He looked more sheepish than surprised though.

The first thing she did was fish around in her pocket, taking out the first pistol and placing it on the table she kept next to her door. She maintained eye contact the entire transaction before taking out the second, putting it in the same spot before taking out the blade from her inner pocket, placing in the same spot. She shimmied out of her coat, watching as his eyes darted down to her overalls, setting on the dried blood that speckled her clothes.

"You always carry that much heat on you?" Burke laughed nervously.

"You always break into people's homes? Or am I just that special?" She threw her coat on the floor, making her way across the room towards him. He backed up, bumping into her coffee table nearly tripping backward over it. Nina cackled, "don't worry Mr. Burke, I'm going towards the bathroom. Want to join me?" Casually she unclasped her overalls, "just kidding, that's reserved for people I actually like. But you can stand outside the door while I wash up and change."

She didn't glance back as she popped open the other clasp, letting them fall to the floor. She stepped out of them, leaving her to walk to her bathroom in her shirt and underwear. She could feel his eyes drop, but didn't say anything as she peered into her crackled mirror. Fresh bruises covered her jaw and mouth, leaving green looking dots around her eye socket and hairline. Dried blood had painted her lips, glancing down her knuckles were split open again with the skin pushing back, the blood drying as she flexed her fists.

"Get into a fight with a gang?" He was standing in the doorway, his side pressed against the frame. She didn't acknowledge him but responded: "Not a gang, just five or six guys. By the way, how good is The Company at cleaning up dead bodies?" She grabbed the antiseptic, gauze, and bandages she had stocked up over the last couple years.

"Uh, um, I mean it could be part of our agreement," she quietly washed her hands, wincing slightly at the stinging feeling, "did...did you kill someone?"

"I mean I didn't, a gun did." She said innocently, shutting off the water and splashing antiseptic all over her knuckles, letting the excess spill over into the sink. There was a silence that swept over them, which made Nina uncomfortable; knowing that his eyes were wandering. After all the fights she's been in, she knew more about bandaging up wounds more than most. She used her teeth to tear off the roll, tapping it down and flexed her fists again to make sure she hadn't bandaged too tight.

"So," she interrupted the silence as she turned around, her lower back pressing against the counter before hoisting herself up on it, "what's this plan exactly? The letter was quite...mysterious. I got the heeby-jeebies reading it; ya'll specialize in creepiness? If that was the goal, ya'll are overachievers."

Burke cleared his throat, "briefing?"

"That'd be excellent, would it be too much to ask if we did this while I wash up? A sponge bath if you will."

"That's, uh, fine. I mean, if you're comfortable with it." Nina lolled her head to the side, quirking an unplucked, thick brow at him, "I recommended it, didn't I?" She impatiently started the tap, clogging it with the plug, and pulling her handtowel from the counter before pushing it in the sink, soaking it.

"Well, we'll be heading towards a colony. Hadleys Hope, housing an estimated one-hundred and sixty colonists. It's been being terraformed for a few years, and we've lost contact with the said colony." Nina drug the wet towel down her sternum, arms, and between the valley of her breasts (careful not to give Burke an eyeful) before squeezing out the water, watching it turn a dull pink.

"And that's a problem for the military, why?"

"Disturbing reports." Was his vague answer. Nina turned her head towards him, narrowing her eyes as she soaked down her legs. She made a loud noise, wanting him to continue, "unconfirmed reports of... xenomorphic activity." If Nina had been drinking something, she would've spat it all out. Instead, she turned towards Burke and let out a roaring pitch of laughter, "excuse me? You're asking me to kick some alien ass?"

"Well, yes, I know how ridiculous it sounds - "

"Fuck no! Count me in, I want to be the first person to kidney punch a fucking alien!" Her laughter rolled into short-bursts of cackling, "if the all-knowing, mysterious Company just put that in their letter I would've signed and initialed every dotted line." She wiped the damp towel over her face, not caring about the aching of her injuries as she grinned wildly, "give me the papers, I'll sign them right now."

"You'll have to keep quiet about this entire mission, of course."

Nina snorted, "if I told anyone anyway, they'd think I was a total nutcase! Besides, this is a victory best served in silence; a fond memory that I can relive."

"The full debriefing will happen while en route to the colony, of course. Military procedure and all that."

Nina rolled her eyes, feeling herself go light-headed from how far back she rolled them, "ex-military remember? I know all their stupid procedures inside and out. Still a whole lot of bullshit for no reason."

"There is also the small thing, about the odd job mentioned."

"Got something to do with aliens?"

Burke stammered, "y, yes?"

"I mean I'm good with it, what does it entail? Do I get to behead one and bring it back? I mean, there might not even be creatures there, but if I can behead one I'd say absolutely."

"More of a specimen that needs to be retrieved and brought back safely."

Nina looked over at him, "alive?"

"It won't be breathing any time soon if that answers your question," Nina looked over at him, obviously intrigued, but also slightly suspicious of the way he was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, "of course, you'll be paid handsomely." She pondered for a moment before cracking a sly smile towards him, "count me in, Turkey Burkey. Get the papers, they're in my coat pocket. I'll sign them and we can go over the small details."


	6. Chapter 6

**Worth Fighting For**  
 _SyntheticProduct_

 _Special shout-out to **AJSM** , who helped me sort out the main character and gave me the inspiration to write another Aliens story. ;)_

* * *

 _Chapter Six_

* * *

Nina was specifically told to only bring one bag of personal belongings, nothing too specific went into those instructions. She assumed it meant a change of clothes and her weapons, simply for the fact that she didn't have much else to bring along on a mission. So, she packed her four military pistols, one of them being newly required, and what she found out was a Deckard, an old forty-four that was mass produced in 2170 and then called off the market because of the suppressed quick-fire being linked in hundreds of murderers. Her Ithaca 37 was stacked at the bottom, her two pulse rifles sitting prettily on top of it with a shit load of ammo that she had acquired over the last week while she was preparing. A clean outfit, which Eliza washed three times to get the blood stains out of, and the blade that she had won from Kendrick was tucked in the front pocket.

She tried to make herself look at least a little bit presentable, taking a shower that morning and combing through her thick hair, letting the damp strands hang loosely down her back. Wearing her old fatigue pants that she had smuggled out the military base, a simple white tank and a large plaid button up tied around her waist. Her favorite pair of combat boots were snug on her feet and she prepped herself to deal with military assholes. Her confidence was sky high as she downed seven cups of coffee and finished off her open pack of cigarettes, which another carton was in her prep bag, and gave her love to the Gustafsson's before heading down to the docks.  
She arrived on the dot, outside of where Burke had instructed her to be, and leaned against a metal post.

Ten minutes passed and Nina got impatient. Here she was being a good little mercenary and he had the audacity to be late. It astounded her to no end that he had the balls to do that after trespassing on her private property. Finally, she took out her unopened pack of cigarettes and opened them, taking one out before placing it between her lips and lighting it with her trusty plasma lighter. Three puffs in quick succession, she slowly felt the nicotine enter her lungs and pass through as she breathed out. She flicked the ash off the end and let her arm hang at her side.  
She watched, feeling herself snort loudly and drawing the stares of a few dock workers around her, as a gaggle of marines paraded down the dock with bags slung over their shoulders and crates being pushed from behind them by a few grunts. Nina caught the eye of Gorman, who gave her a shaky smile, one of which that Nina didn't return. She instead took a deep inhale of her cigarette and turned her head away from the group, blowing it up to the sky. She half hoped that he wouldn't address her, but she knew Gorman like the back of her hand from the time they spent together; he couldn't pass up the opportunity to try to look cool in front of people, especially anyone that was stationed with him.

"Dragov, I see you couldn't pass up an opportunity to work with me again." His false bravado made her want to sock him in the nose, break it one more time like she had done in training. She rolled her head down to look at him, eye to eye, and gave him a bored look, "I'd be more excited to piss myself, Gorman." There were a couple of loud snickers from behind him, from the little posse that was following him. The larger man, who was currently smoking a cigar, had the widest smile on his face she had ever seen; she was half afraid he would split his lips. Gorman cleared his throat before glancing back at him, "follow in, we'll get checked in and settled before any introductions are made." There were some murmurs, the loudest from a muscular woman with a similar stature to Nina, who responded with a snort and elbowing a man in the ribs, "thinks he's hot shit, doesn't he Hudson?"

The man, Hudson she assumed, laughed uproariously and slapped her shoulder, "right on Vasquez."

Nina cracked a smile, watching as Gorman started up the ramp while the others followed, some of them openly looking at Nina with curious eyes. There was one man that dwindled behind, a fairly attractive man if Nina was being objective. She was the type she'd usually end up in bed within the early mornings before leaving behind later that same morning, nothing but a sweet memory. He had short brown hair, messily brushed with green eyes that simply blinked at her.

"Can I bum one?" Nina stuck her cigarette between her lips, noticing just then that they were chapped. She fished around in her pack before pulling out her pack, bumping one up through the opening. She held it out to him, letting him take it before offering her plasma lighter. He waved her off, retrieving one of his own before sucking in and blowing out slowly, "sorry, didn't think to keep an open pack on me."

Nina shrugged, "I get it, makes you want to smoke yourself to death when you're around Gorman for too long." She saw him crack a smile.

"So I'm guessing from that exchange earlier you know him?" Nina snorted, the force pushing her head upwards dramatically before puffing on her cigarette.

"Know him? I've broken his nose before, he's slow you know and doesn't defend himself very well from kidney punches." The man's smile widened, "aren't those illegal in hand-to-hand fighting?"

"Nothings illegal when you're pissed."

"I like you, names Hicks, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Same to you, if we're giving last names you already know mine."

He chuckled, "fair." They stood in silence as they continued smoking.

"So you also going to be advising us, too?"

Nina looked at him, lifting her right brow at him and chortled quietly, "if I advise you, we'll all be killed. I've been called reckless a few times." Hicks nodded his head, "better than Gorman's advising, I'm sure." Nina full-blown laughed at that, nearly choking on the smoke she had inhaled.

"I'm beginning to like you too, Hicks."

"Just beginning to? I'm hurt."

Nina couldn't help the smile that widened, pinching her cheeks slightly, "Hicks you're incredibly good-looking; you've got those puppy eyes down, but I've just met you. You're so forward." She watched with amusement as his cheeks tinted pink, "next thing you know you'll be coping a feel and telling me you know how to show me a good time."

Hicks simply winked at her although it turned out more as a blink, "I try to keep that after my dates have had at least a few drinks."

"So you can only catch a bird when she's drunk?" She retorted quickly, watching as he lifted his cigarette to his full lips. She licked her own lips at his actions.

"Nah. But women usually become a little more flexible with some liquid courage; they usually need it with me." It was Nina's turn to feel her cheeks heat up slightly, "what if I told you I'm already pretty flexible?"

"It never helps to limber up, but I'd tell you I only jump into bed after the second date."

"Second date? You tramp." She teased.

"I've been called worse." He shrugged as Nina snuffed out her cigarette with her boot. He did the same after a few moments, inclining his head towards the ramp, "you coming on?"

Nina smirked, "sorry but I have to meet a date here, but he's late so I might stand him up in a few minutes." Hicks nodded before starting up the ramp before turning around, placing a timid hand on her shoulder, "if he stands you up, I'll take you on a pity date." He turned and continued up the ramp as Nina called after him: "I'll hold you to it!"

Their quick banter held her over until she saw Burke come stumbling down the dock. The crowds were beginning to dwindle as most people had already reported to their cruisers and the dock workers were working on loading, unloading, and everything in between. She would've been caught off guard by the woman following Burke if she didn't know any better. Ellen Ripley, if her eyes could be believed, was a woman known down at the docks; Nina had even worked beside her unloading cruisers and she also knew she was a woman of few words, but if she ever talked you knew you had to listen.

She walked with a mousy confidence, shoulders hunched, but back unbelievably straight and head held high with eyes downcast. Her presence commanded attention, but she could blend into a crowd so easily; the woman was an enigma. Nina knew two things about her: she was older than Nina was and she had a cat. Not much else was said and Nina liked it that way.

By the way that Ripley looked at her, eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar, Nina wasn't the only one surprised by the other female. Nina raised her arm, giving a two finger salute as they neared, "almost boarded without you Burke," she turned towards Ripley with a sly smile, "Ripley."

Burke looked almost flustered, _poor man_ , Nina thought, _he always looks so surprised,_ "you two know each other?"

"For all your contacts, you didn't know that we've worked at the docks together?" Nina cocked a brow at him, trying hard to not smirk. Nina's eyes glanced over Ripley; she looked good, but she still had those perpetual dark circles under her eyes and Nina couldn't blame her.

"Dragov, good to see you again." The two women clapped their hands together in a hard handshake before separating, "you look good."

"Same to you, I see you're moving up in the world."

Ripley looked slightly uncomfortable now, shifting her weight from one foot from the other ever so slightly that an untrained eye wouldn't spot it, "but if moving up in the world means you have to deal with this one here," Nina pointed towards Burke with her thumb, "I'm almost sorry for you." Ripley gave a small smile at Burke's expense. The tension seemed to leave her slightly before Burke coughed. The two looked towards the man and seeing his cheeks tinted pink, Nina snorted, "it's a joke Burke, no worries."

"Didn't sound one like me," Ripley chuckled, throwing her bag over her shoulder and starting up the ramp before looking over her shoulder at the pair, "you coming?" Nina shook her head once, spitting on the ground and gave her a small smile.

"Me and Burke here gotta go over a few things that weren't explained so clearly in my contract, we'll meet you inside." Ripley nodded affirmatively, heading in before them as Nina turned towards Burke. When he parted his lips to start to talk, she put a single finger to her lips before hearing the rush of the doors closing on the ship. Burke obidently waited until Nina turned to face him full-on, "okay, a few questions Burkey, all about this little clause of yours before we head in."


	7. Chapter 7

**Worth Fighting For**  
 _SyntheticProduct_

 _Special shout-out to **AJSM** , who helped me sort out the main character and gave me the inspiration to write another Aliens story. ;)_

* * *

 _Chapter Seven_

* * *

Wearily, Nina glanced around the room and tried to make it less than obvious as she did so. She glanced out of her peripherals, watching the marines around her. She caught Ripley's eyes doing the same, so the brown skinned woman sent the paler one a tight-lipped smile. There weren't any introductions happening, Gormon explained that they'd have enough time when they awoke out of hypersleep which, to be honest, sounded like the best option; in fact, if it were up to her, she wouldn't like to know any one's name because she didn't want to get close, she didn't want to care in case this mission went up shit creek.

Which listening to the aimless chatter around her, was definitely going to happen. She tightened her grip on her forearms, pressing her elbows into her chest as she sighed; she should've gotten drunk beforehand. Burke nudged her, "everything okay?" Trying to contain her distaste for the man, she looked over at him. She swore that never in her life had she ever met someone that sweat as much as he did. At first, she chopped it up to wearing a suit so tightly buttoned up that she wouldn't be surprised if it cut off the circulation to his brain, but today he looked disheveled and highly nervous. She ran her tongue over her front teeth before replying: "yeah, just wish they would hurry the fuck up."

The shorter man chuckled to himself, hiding it under a cough when the closest marine to them had turned towards them. A gangly looking man, if she was asked, but he had the slightest hint of a baby face. He turned around after sending a narrow-eyed glance her way which she returned. She supposed that he knew she wasn't a marine and she wasn't working for The Company, so he was suspicious; that's fine, she told herself and shrugged. She turned the slightest bit of her attention towards Burke again, pursing her lips together to contain the laughter that was bubbling in her throat. The nervous man was dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief while the other hand was loosening his tie; they were doomed.

"That's all you have to know about going into hypersleep, but do not concern yourself I will be there every step of the way." The man talking had a pleasant voice, but she was pretty sure that everyone in the room had gone into hypersleep before and didn't need to hear the same shpiel that they always heard before going on long missions. She could almost picture the little light bulb go off above her head as the group started lining up for their shots. Nina quickly saddled up next to Burke, who was last in line and just behind Ripley.

"Have you ever gone into hypersleep, Burkey boy?"

He didn't even have to answer because the twitch in his fingers and the harsh swallow that made his Adam's apple bob was enough of one. She threw her arm around his shoulder's, drawing him in before smirking, "don't worry Burke, you heard the man earlier, only one out of one-thousand hypersleep cases go wrong."

"Actually, I believe what he said was only one in every thousand people experiences hypersleep sickness, but one in every five-thousand people experiences heart failure while in hypersleep." Ripley quipped, turning her head slightly so Nina could see the briefest smile forming on her lips. Nina could feel her grin growing larger as Burke's shoulders trembled beneath her arm, "but that was only if you have a weak heart, which I'm sure your heart is fine, Burke."

Ripley turned towards her, arms folded over her chest, "listen to the girl Burke, she's a smart cookie."

Nina clapped his shoulder with her hand, "It's nice to see there's at least one intelligent person on board." Ripley quirked a brow at her, "not including yourself?" Nina snorted loudly, drawing the attention of the others in line, "you're talking to the girl that got her leg stuck under a cargo box and broke her tibia." Ripley laughed along with Nina this time as Burke seemed to settle down slightly from their teasing.

"How did that happen again?"

Nina released Burke from her hold, scrunching her nose up in disgust when the palm of her hand came back wet. She wiped her hand down on her clothed thigh, "I'm pretty sure it involved cheap whiskey and a bet between me and Brantley that I couldn't carry the cargo box checkpoint A by myself."

"I remember now, didn't boss squat down next to you and just say 'so much for zero days without a workplace accident'?"

Nina sneered, "he was always an asshole."

"When you weren't an asshole back, he was pretty nice."

"He started it! Shouldn't have called me a dirty urchin and spat at me." Nina retorted, giving Ripley the smallest smile she could muster. Ripley shook her head and chuckled quietly.

"Sounds like fighting words." Someone chipped in from in front of Ripley. Nina leaned out of line and felt a tight smirk making an appearance as Hicks nodded towards her, "I would've punched him."

"And I would've lost my job." Nina snorted and Ripley just looked at her with an incredulous look, "you got fired a couple months later for punching him."

"Yeah, so after that, I started putting on the resume that I had extreme patience and excellent problem-solving skills."

That earned her biting laughter from both Hicks and Ripley which made her beam with pride. Burke was awkwardly shuffling off to the side as the line continued to move. One by one, the marines started to enter their hypersleep pods. Ripley, Hicks, and Nina bided their time with some small talk which wasn't exactly Nina's cup of tea especially when she found that it was now going to be harder to lie to both of them; she should've just stayed by Burke's side. Speaking of Burke, he had cut in line in front of Hicks, not that the man looked like he minded.

Nina gave Hicks a flirty wink when he was led back to his pod, he just shook his head as he went to slip down into his undergarments before slipping into his designated pod. The man that was helping them sent a smile towards the remaining women as he stepped over, his legs moving in an almost awkward glide. Nina cocked her head to the side as he instructed Ripley to roll up her sleeve to expose her arm, watching his microexpressions as he pressed the syringe to Ripley's arm.

"So, you'll be with us every step of the way? Does that mean you're not going into hypersleep?" Ripley questioned, her voice soft as he plunged the needle into her arm, exposing her biochemistry to whatever it held. The man nodded, "I do not need to go into hypersleep; according to my job description."

"Well, it is only a few weeks to the colony, correct?"

"That is correct." Nina glanced at Ripley, watching as her shoulders eased from all the tension suspended there and she sighed, her chest expelling out the breath she had been holding. He motioned her to follow him, "I will only be a moment." Nina assumed he was speaking to her as he and Ripley went over to the few remaining hypersleep pods. Nina busied her time by picking at her cuticles, biting off the small pieces that edged off slowly. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the sterile air and held her breath in, leaving her chest to burn with a familiar sensation.

 _"The Company specified that we can't tell anyone," Burke stressed._

 _"And why's that?"_

 _"If anyone were to find out, they'd try to stop us, destroy anything that we find."_

 _"Is it that dangerous? I mean, we might not even find any evidence of... what did you call it? Alien life." Nina cracked her knuckles, one by one while Burke shifted his weight from one foot to the other._

 _"The Company wants anything we can find on it."_

 _Nina felt her face fall, her eyes scrunching closed as she rubbed her temples, "they want to control it, don't they? I'm sure this will end well."_

 _Burke smiled, the edges of it twitching under her scrutiny, "they want whatever we can find. Price ranges higher for a living specimen."_

 _"I don't know Burke, I might get antsy and squash it under my boot."_

 _He chuckled lowly, "if they're really there, the reports we've gotten is that they're a little larger than the sole of your shoe."_

"Ms. Dragnov?"

Nina snapped her eyes open, focusing solely on where the voice was coming from. Close up, she could see where his scar began and where it ended, how deep it ran, and even that it was from a sharpened tool. She would've said it was healed nicely if it wasn't put there on purpose.

"So you're the latest synthetic model? Humanoid, they even let you have a scar." He didn't even look startled by her statement, more amused if anything. She hadn't spent too much time around synthetics since most of them sent shivers down her spine; he was almost too human, would blend in too well if it weren't for little ticks he had. The strange movements and the fact that he didn't use compound words. If he really was the latest model, he would be able to evolve from his human interactions.

"Was it that obvious?" Nina stuck her arm out, trying not to lean away as he approached her with the syringe. She didn't have a synthetic phobia, she wasn't afraid of him, but she was afraid of what he could do; was this man really a man, or was it, it? Whatever the synthetic was or is, they could easily kill her with everything they knew how to do. She wouldn't be surprised if they knew everything about human physiology and anatomy, making it quite simple for them to hit one point and leave her to die. Her own thoughts wanted to make her shiver, but she suppressed it.

"Not obvious, but I'm trained to detect between humans and synthetics. Synthetics aren't as vulnerable to the damages that humans are." He just hummed, tapping the needle into her vein and letting the warm liquid flood into her.

"What gave it away?"

"Compound words. Use 'didn't', instead of 'did not'."

"I should've guessed, the human lexicon is diverse, isn't it?" Nina nodded her head as he escorted her back to the changing area, "also the English language is diverse, alternatively to something such as Spanish." She never released that synthetics were prone to something like rambling. She also noted that after she mentioned it, he had changed his speech.

"You might also want to study human movements more, the way you walk is a little too clunky still."

"Ah, my creator walked like this." Nina had to wonder if his creator had a limp or some sort of leg injury. He favored his right leg instead of the left and his arms looked ready to brace himself from impact at any moment, "you look like you're injured," she stated bluntly, "someone might try to use that against you in a fight."

She watched as his eyebrows twitched up, "should I be expecting a take over in the future?" She balked for a moment before laughter bubbled up from her chest and tore its way out from her throat. Nina slapped a hand on his back, noting that while it still felt like flesh that there was a hardened layer underneath it.

"If I wanted to take over the ship, I wouldn't have allowed you to inject me..." Her sentence trailed off as she looked at him expectedly.

"Bishop."

"Alright, Bishop, I would be incredibly stupid if I let you inject me with a concoction of sleeping medication and whatever else was in that syringe if I wanted to take over the ship."

He hummed in response and Nina could see his brain analyzing her words. She didn't take offense to this at all, after all, it was his job to assess possible threats. She definitely wasn't a threat on a ship with highly trained individuals and a synthetic.

"Please strip." Nina choked on her spit at the abrupt command before giggling to herself. He was gesturing to the partition just beyond the last hypersleep pod so she made herself scarce behind it, stripping down to her undergarments which consisted of a pair of boyshorts and a sports bra. She folded her clothing and shivered at the cold floor underneath her feet. Bishop stepped forward and held out his arms, "I'll deliver your clothing to your locker with your other belongings." Happily, she handed her clothing over to him before following him as he showed her the way to her pod.

"I have all of your medical information, but is there anything that might not be reported here?"

"Important enough to tell you? Probably not..." She snapped her fingers, "I have a couple cracked ribs that I didn't get treated."

"That'd classify as important, I'll dial down the pressure in your pod so your ribs aren't broken when you awake." Bishop balanced her folded clothing in one hand as his other hand glided over the computer, imputing in the new parameters. Nina shrugged, "didn't think of it until I said no." The synthetic man didn't respond as he finished putting in the new information.

"Please lay down." Nina was one step ahead, already half in by the time he asked her to. When her shoulders hit the padding of the pod, she shifted around a bit before nodding at him.

"Try not to let me die please, I wanna go out with a bang, not a snore."

If she wasn't watching his face, she would've missed the small smile that his lips curled up in, "I'll go one step further and when you wake up, I'll even report to you if you snore." Nina snorted and smiled back, "sounds good Bishop."

Bishop nodded once before typing in the code for the pod to initialize hypersleep mode. The lid slowly shut, the air growing slightly thinner as the pod was slowly pumped with a low dose of sleep-aid. Nina hummed softly, feeling her eyes flutter after a moment.

"Have a restful sleep, Ms. Dragov."

Drowsily, Nina replied with a simple: "Night Bishop, don't let the nanobytes, bite." Before yawning as her eyes closed and she was greeted with darkness.


End file.
